The sentencing blogger Nose revealed the paradoxes of Russian politics

The sentencing blogger Nose revealed the paradoxes of Russian politics

03.10.2016

The court in the case of extremist statements Anton Nosik took a truly Solomonic decision: guilty to admit it, but the prison did not plant, limited to a fine of half a million rubles. Thus the judges dramatically lowered the degree of public debate about sentencing. However, the criteria that were sentenced well-known blogger and social activist, still raise questions. After all, if to judge according to the Hamburg score, then a similar punishment deserves plenty of characters of the Russian political scene.

Photo: Andrew Lubimov

The spout, as is known, were charged under the act referred to in the 282nd article of the criminal code – the actions directed on excitation of hatred or enmity towards any social or ethnic group, committed publicly.

Crime was Internet publication of the article in which the Spout welcomed the bombing of Syria – “who would not bomb.”

To quote her we can’t, but no doubt Spout enough over the edge. So the human rights center “Sova”, specializing in the fight against extremism (it is unlikely that someone will turn the language to call this structure are close to the authorities) agree that the Spout is not sinless: “We believe that the statements of the Spout contain calls to war and approval of the inferiority of Syrians who can excite the hostility towards this people.” However, experts “Owls” doubt the necessity of criminal prosecution of the blogger, because the social danger of his statements, as they think small: “the hostility toward Syrians has a large spread in contemporary Russian society, as for the calls for bombing, they turned to the governments of countries in which opinion of the Spout, there is no effect”.

But the investigation, prosecution and trial a different point of view on a socially dangerous act. We won’t argue: you may post the Spout really threatens peace in the middle East. However, it should be noted that our Themis is not acting blindly, but very selectively: for one and the same someone is punished on all severity of the law, and someone – no complaints.

Examples? As much as necessary. Take, for example, relatively fresh statement of the Vice-speaker of the state Duma, LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky: “Now the attacks are coming in Europe… And it is beneficial to us. Let them die and perish.” Here is the earlier statement of the same policy: “They (the residents of the North Caucasus – “MK”) must give birth to as many children as the average gives birth to humanity. Two, one – all. For the third – fine. Don’t want to limit that. Do not want – surround yourself with barbed wire”.

Yes, here is the most recent example is the statement of the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov: “Those who are in the Chechen Republic, disturbing the peace, shot to hell. Nothing matters – the law, not the law… For the safety issue – shot. Understand? Assalamu alaykum, no problem! That is the law!”.

The last statement is no less dangerous than a rowdy post blogger of the Spout. After all, it is addressed not “on village to the grandfather”, and specific individuals, subordinate of Kadyrov, and the risk that they will take this statement as a guide to action – or already accepted – is large enough. However, instead of take on official, regular fighters with extremism began to seek out extenuating circumstances. Kadyrov misunderstood, says the Prosecutor of Chechnya: a passage, saying, “out of context”. Anyway “the head of the Republic is not a practicing lawyer, and only this explains the errors in some of its statements.”

Nose, incidentally, is also not a practicing lawyer. But more significant, it seems, was the fact that he is not simultaneously practicing the Governor and the Deputy or, at worst, just a supporter of the government. By the way, if a person is convicted of only calls, no less worthy of retribution those bad advice followed. Now, logically, the impartial guardians of the law must find out whether the bomb is not really someone’s criminal planes unloved blogger Nose the Syrian land… in Short, do not judge and be not judged.

Watch the video on “the Sentence in half instead of real life disappointed Anton Nosik”